AMANDA BROWN/THE STAR-LEDGEREmilio Vasquez appears in Union County Superior Court in Elizabeth. He allegedly started a fire in Elizabeth which lead to the death of a veteran Elizabeth firefighter.

"Thank you," he said, after Gross told him he would be approved for a public defender, and as a Guatemalan citizen he could contact that consulate for assistance.

Vasquez told police he set a fire in a vacant house Jan. 2 to keep himself warm, but the blaze spread and led to the death of Gary Stephens, 57, a 28-year veteran of the Elizabeth Fire Department. Stephens was killed at the scene of the blaze when he was accidentally run over by a fire truck that was slowly backing up.

Stephens had been standing behind the rig, directing the driver back toward a hydrant to lay hose, when he became distracted and was struck by the truck, authorities said.

Vasquez later walked into Trinitas Regional Medical Center with burns to his hands and face, claiming he was injured in the fire, Elizabeth police said. While at first Vasquez told police he had been kidnapped and tied up inside the house, he later admitted to setting the fire to keep warm.

Vasquez, whom authorities say had been illegally living in the house for about five days, is being held at the Union County Jail on $650,000 bail.